Abstract P1-08-06: Oncology nursing in India: are we up to speed?
Authors: Garvit Chitkara, Sridevi Murali-Nanavati, Nikhil Bardeskar, Ajinkya Gupte, Shruti Behal, Mugdha Lad, Prajakta Dongarkar, Muzammil Shaikh, Kaustav Talapatra
Journal: Cancer Research (2023)

Abstract Background: Cancer management is a critical component of healthcare worldwide. Improvement in cancer care has improved the longevity of patients, and they require continued care from healthcare workers, including nurses. Although nurses in India are trained to care for patients in general, courses dedicated to cancer care are few. The present study evaluated the knowledge of nurses involved in cancer management via an online survey. Materials and methods: A survey pertaining to nursing practices in cancer management was distributed electronically to nurses in India from January to April 2022. The survey was designed to evaluate treatment-specific knowledge and confidence of the nurses in managing patients with cancer. The data received was analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016. The responses were divided into two groups: responses marked 4 and 5 on the scale were grouped as confident responses, whereas those marked 1, 2, and 3 were grouped as unconfident responses. Chi-squared analyses were performed using the OpenEpi online tool. Results: A total of 422 nurses replied to the questionnaire; of these, 399 (94.55%) said that they have experience in caring for patients with cancer. Of the 399, 198 (49.62%) worked in specialized cancer care centers and the remaining 201 (50.38%) worked in general hospitals. Nearly two-third of the nurses (n = 262; 65.7%) replied that they studied cancer care as a part of their nursing curriculum, whereas the remaining learnt through personal experience. A total of 335 (84%) nurses had undergone a specialized course in chemotherapy management, and most were confident about their knowledge on chemotherapy administration, central line management, and side effect and precaution management. Only 41 (10.3%) had undergone a specialized course in oncology-directed surgical management; yet based on their primary nursing training more than half of the nurses were confident of performing pre- and postoperative management. With respect to a more specialized surgical care, only 144 (36.1%) were confident in providing stoma care and 181 (45.4%) were confident in teaching preventive lymphedema care after surgery. Although a majority had completed a specialized course in post-radiation management (n = 255; 93.2%), only half were confident in identifying skin-induced changes and providing care for patients receiving radiotherapy. Furthermore, only half of the nurses were aware of the role of nursing staff in brachytherapy (n = 200; 50.1%). Most nurses did not undergo any specialized course (n = 360; 90.2%) in palliative management; 124 (31.1%) nurses said that they were not very confident in adequately counselling patient relatives with regard to symptomatic treatment. Nurses working in specialized cancer centers (n = 198) were significantly more confident in administering and managing central lines for chemotherapy; performing adequate chemotherapy drug disposal; and assessing the needs of cancer patients and their family members than their counterparts working in general hospitals (n = 201) (all p &amp;lt; 0.05). Only 54.4% of the respondents were aware of oncology-directed nursing programs available in the country, and only half were able to access them (n = 160; 55.2%) owing to the lack of guidance (n = 130; 32.58%), time (n = 93; 23.31%), and funds (n = 46; 11.53%). Hence, when asked whether they would be inclined to attend a hybrid course, majority (n = 349; 87.47%) indicated in the affirmative. Also, 338 (84.7%) nurses replied that they would be inclined to participate in cancer screening programs after pursuing such a specialized course. Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the lacunae in nurses’ oncology training. Thus, there is an obvious need to redesign the existing oncology-directed nursing programs to include palliative care and organ-site specific care. Designing these courses in the hybrid format may improve its accessibility and the willingness of nurses to attend. Citation Format: Garvit Chitkara, Sridevi Murali-Nanavati, Nikhil Bardeskar, Ajinkya Gupte, Shruti Behal, Mugdha Lad, Prajakta Dongarkar, Muzammil Shaikh, Kaustav Talapatra. Oncology nursing in India: are we up to speed? [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-08-06.